FIREFIGHTERS had to break down the doors of Perth homes after a bin blaze put trapped residents’ lives at risk.

Paramedics treated four residents – three men and one woman – for smoke inhalation after they were evacuated from Ness House, a five-storey block of 10 flats on Nimmo Place, Hillyland.

The fire – suspicious and possibly linked to other recent fires – began in a ground floor bin recess around 2pm on Tuesday before rapidly spreading to a storage area, with thick smoke blocking occupants’ escape.

Several residents managed to get outside before Perth fire crews arrived at 2.15pm and deployed an aerial platform to reach upper floor windows to check if anyone was trapped inside.

“When we arrived the fire had spread along the corridor from the bin recess and one of the storage rooms was well alight,” explained Tayside Fire and Rescue group manager Billy McLintock.

“Smoke was clogging the communal close so nobody could get out of the block, so firefighters using breathing apparatus checked every single flat to make sure they were clear.

“We had to force entry to two flats on the first floor immediately above the fire, which we felt were at a higher risk.

“Some of the evacuees had taken in a bit of smoke so they were attended to by paramedics.”

Around 13 firefighters in three appliances attended, utilising six breathing apparatus and two water jets to extinguish the blaze, before departing after 4pm.

He said that without fire crews’ swift intervention residents might have been trapped and suffered serious injury or perished in what appeared to have been a deliberately set blaze.

“At the moment we’re treating this incident as suspicious and believe that it could be connected to a number of other recent fires in the town,” he said.

“There will be further investigation but there are three or four other incidents possibly linked to this fire.”

Children or teenagers were the prime suspects behind two suspicious blazes at blocks of flats in February where at least one victim required medical treatment for smoke inhalation.

The fires took hold at Cairns Place in Tulloch at 7.15pm on Thursday, February 9, and at 108 Scott Street two days later at 2pm.

At the city centre blaze, a female resident of a third floor flat had to be rescued and taken to Perth Royal Infirmary with respiratory issues after inhaling thick, black acrid smoke.

And at the Tulloch incident firebugs torched a pram in the close at Don House and firefighters discovered evidence of attempts to spark a fire at the neighbouring Dee House block.

Acting on a tip-off from police colleagues who had smelled smoke, officers identified a pile of smouldering newspapers on the floor of the upper landing as the source.

“It looked as if they’d propped the newspapers on a windowsill of a flat as it had scorch marks on it,” explained Perth Fire Station manager, Neil Kerr.

“And when that didn’t work, we think that perhaps setting the pram alight in the close of the block next door might have been their next move.”

He said the fire created a lot of acrid smoke in the enclosed stairwell.

“One woman came out of her flat to check on neighbours and although only exposed for a couple of minutes her face was blackened and she had inhaled a lot of this black smoke,” he said.

“She was given oxygen by paramedics and we also had to evacuate all eight flats – children and adults – so this had the potential to be much more serious.”

Witnesses told police they had seen youngsters running from the area before the alarm was raised.

As a direct result of these disturbing incidents, firefighters visited several schools to spread the word that willful fire-raising can kill.

Yesterday a Tayside Police spokesman confirmed the cause of this week’s incident was being probed and that foul play was not being ruled out.

“We’re concerned about any fire and it’s potential for causing harm to members of the public,” he said.

He would not be drawn on whether the daytime blaze taking place the day after school holidays began was mere coincidence.

Anyone with information about Tuesday’s fire or who saw suspicious activity near the Nimmo Place flats, before, during or after the incident, can contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.